Motor-vehicle.



No. 680,602. Patented Aug. 13,1901: 0. A. use.

moms VEHICLE.- (Application filed May 23, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Nrrsn STATES ATnN'r Fries.

CHARLES A. LIEB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,602, dated August 13,- 1901.

Application filed May 23, 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. LIEB, a citizen of the United States,residing at NewYork, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to motor-vehicles, the object of the same being to provide means whereby the starting, stopping, and reversing of the motor, the braking of the vehicle, and the steering of the same are put under the control of a single lever.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the motor or other propelling means is automatically cut off and the brake applied as soon as the pressure upon the operating-lever is removed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be defined in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly broken away, of a motor-vehicle embodying 2 5 my improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the steering-post, the connections between'the same and the front axles of the vehicle, the operating-lever, and the connections between the same and the motor '0 and brake.

0 steering-wheels 3,with the supporting-springs I for the body, may all be of any suitable form and construction. The motor '5,'which is pref erably but not necessarily mounted upon the body, may be a steamengine, gas engine,

5 electric motor, or any other form of motor. I

have shown the same as a steam-engine with the crank-arm 6 connected with the controlling-valve thereof. Said engine is also shown connected through the piston-rod 7, wrist-pin 5o 8, pulley or gear-wheel 9, chain or belt 10,

and pulley or gear-wheel 11 with the rear driv- Serial to. 17,711. No model.)

ing-wheels 2, so that the power of said engine may be transmitted to said driving-wheels.

The steering-post 12 is shown as vertically disposed at the forward end of the vehicle, and the same is connected with the axles 13, on which the front steering wheels 3 are mounted, through a crank-arm 14, pitmen 15, and crank-arms 16. Upon the upper end of the steering-post 12 is pivoted the operatinglever 17. By this construction it will be observed that by moving the operating-lever 17 to the right or left a corresponding movement will be transmitted, through the means described, to the axles on which the wheels 3 are mounted for the purpose of steering the vehicle. Pivoted to the operating-lever 17 and extendingalong the steering-post 12 is a slidingly-mounted rod or bar 18, having a rearwardly-extending horizontal segmental lug or plate 19 secured thereto. The said lug or plate 19 lies and is adapted to move between the branches of a fork. 20 in the forward end of one arm of a lever 21, the said lever being fulcrumed upon a stationary part of the vehicle. The opposite arm 22 of said lever is connected, through the flexible cord or chain 23, with an arm 24: on a brake 25, normally held in engagement with a disk on the driving-wheel 2 or the axle thereof by a spring 26. Adjacent to the arm 22 of the lever 21 the flexible cord or chain 23 passes between two guide-rollers 27 28, so that when the lever 21 is rocked in either direction from is normal position it will serve to draw the brake away from the disk with which it cooperates. The lever 21 is further provided with a crank-arm 29, which is connected through a rod or pitman 30 with the crankarm 6 on the end of the controlling-valve of the motor 5. The said controlling-valve is so disposed normally, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, as to cutout the motor 5. When the crank-arm 6, however, is moved rearwardly, the controlling-valve is so operated as to start the motor 5 forwardly, and when the crank-arm 6 is moved forwardly the controlling-valve is so turned as'to reverse the motor 5. It will be observed, therefore, that when the free end of the operating-lever 17 is elevated the lever 21 will be rocked through the engagement of the lug 19 with the fork the action of the spring 26.

20 in one arm thereof, depress the opposite arm 22 thereof, and throw the crank-arm 29 thereof rearwardly, transmitting corresponding movements to the brake 25 and to the crank-arm 6 on the controlling-valve. The result is that the brake 25 is moved away from the disk with which it cooperates against the action of the spring 26,and the motor 5is started and serves to propel the vehicle forward. If, however, the operating-lever 17 be depressed, the brake 25 is also removed from the disk with which it cooperates, the crankarm 6 on the controlling-valve is moved in the opposite direction, and the motor is reversed.

The means provided by me for maintaining the controlling-valve in its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, with the motor 5 cut out and the brake 25 on, consists of a pair of leaf-springs 31 32, secured at 33 to a stationary part of the vehicle and havinga separating-block 34 between them. Between the free ends of said springs 31 32 is disposed a rearwardly-extending horizontal segmental lug or plate 35, secured to the rod or bar 18. The spring 31 serves to resist the upward movement of the rod or bar 18 by the engagement of the lug 35 with the underside thereof, and the spring 32 serves to resist the downward movement of said rod or bar by the engagement of the lug 35 with the upper side thereof. Both of said springs, therefore, act together to hold the operating-lever 17, the rod or bar 18, and the controlling-valve for the motor 5, which is connected through the means described with said operating-lever and rod or bar in their normal positions, at which time the brake 25 is applied through The result of the construction described is that as soon as the pressure in one direction on the operatinglever 17 is relieved the motor 5 is automatically cut off, the brake 25 applied, and the movement of the vehicle automatically stopped. All operations of the motor 5, including the starting, stopping, and reversing of the same, together with the braking and steering of the vehicle, are also under the control of a single operating-lever 17.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Ina motor-vehicle, steering mechanism, a brake, and means controlled by said mechanism, and acting directly upon the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same and for throwing said brake into and out of operation.

2. In a motor-vehicle, a steering-lever, a brake, and means controlled by said lever and acting directly on the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same and for throwing said brake into and out of operation.

3. In a motor-vehicle, a steering-lever, a normally-applied brake, means controlled by said lever and acting directly on the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same, and means controlled by said lever for releasing the brake when the motor is started in one direction or the other.

4. In a motor-vehicle, a brake, a rotary steering-post, an operating -lever pivoted thereto, a rod or bar pivoted to said lever and adapted to be actuated thereby, a controlling-valve for the motor, and connections between said brake and controlling-valve and said rod or bar, whereby said brake and controlling-valve are actuated by the movement of said rod or bar.

5. In a motor-vehicle, a rotary steeringpost, an operating-lever pivoted thereto, a rod or bar pivoted to saida-lever and adapted to be actuated thereby, asegmental lug or plate on said rod, a crank-arm connected to the controlling-valve of said motor, a lever having a crank-arm thereon, and a rod connecting the crank-arm on said lever with the crank-arm on said valve, the said lever being provided with a yoke or fork between the branches of which said lug or plate is located.

6. Ina motor-vehicle, steering mechanism,- means controlled by said mechanism and act ing directly upon the motor for starting,- stopping and reversing the same, a brake, and means for automatically stopping said motor and applying said brake when pressure upon said steering mechanism is relieved.

7. In a motor vehicle, a steeringlever, means controlled by said lever and acting directly upon the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same, a brake, and means for automatically stopping said motor and ap plying said brake when pressure upon said steering-lever is relieved.

8. In a motor vehicle, a steering lever, means controlled by said lever and acting directly upon the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same, and a spring for automatically stopping'said motor when pressure upon said steering-lever is relieved.

9. In a motorvehicle, a steering lever, means controlled by said lever and acting directly upon the motor for starting, stopping and reversing the same, a brake, and springs for automatically stopping said motor and applying said brake when pressure upon said steering-lever is relieved.

10. In a motor-vehicle, a pivotally-mounted operating-lever for the motor, and a pair of springs acting upon said lever for resisting its movements in opposite directions and automatically throwing said motor out of operation when pressure upon said operating-lever is relieved.

11. In a motor-vehicle, a pivotally-mounted operatinglever for the motor, a brake, a spring for normally maintaining said brake in operative position, and a pair of springs acting upon said lever for resisting its movements in opposite directions and automatic ally throwing said motor out of operation and permitting said brake to be applied when pressure upon said operating-lever is relieved.

12. In a motor-vehicle, a pivotally-mounted operating-lever for the motor, a rod or bar connected thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, a lug on said rod or bar, a pair of springs acting upon opposite sides of said lug, and connections between said rod or bar and the controlling-valve of the motor, whereby said motor is automatically thrown out of op eration when pressure upon said operatinglever is relieved.

13. In a motor-vehicle, a pivotally-mounted operating-lever for the motor, a rod or bar connected thereto and adapted to be actuated thereby, a lug on said rod or bar, a brake, a

CHARLES A. LIEB.

Witnesses:

WM. M. STOOKBRIDGE, DENIs J. DowNINe, 

